Paper Mario: The Winds of Change
- 2018 |modes = Single-Player |media = Cartridge |input = Joy-Con Nintendo Switch Pro Controller |ratings = }} Paper Mario: The Winds of Change is the upcoming sixth entry in the Paper Mario series for the Nintendo Switch developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo and being published by the latter of the two. The title will return to the RPG-styled format of the first two entries in the series as opposed to the mixture of action-platforming and RPGs found in the more recent titles. Story A basic synopsis of the game has been provided by Nintendo; "Mario and company are back for another paper-thin adventure! This time around, however, roles are being turned wildly on their heads. During a visit to the faraway Frostburn Empire, Mario saves Peach from being kidnapped once again only to find '''himself' captured by a new villain named Anemoi. Our heroic plumber eventually breaks out of Anemoi's lair whereupon he discovers almost the entire empire is against him due to the disappearance of the eight weather-controlling Firma Winds; unless Mario can return all eight by the end of the month, the Frostburn Empire will become vulnerable to the natural elements and be buried deep beneath an amalgamation of natural disasters. Armed with new partners and the Aeolian Pendant, Mario sets out to find the Winds, locate Peach, and protect this new empire." Based on trailers, the game will also involve the following; *The return of Rawk Hawk from ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, albeit this time as a manager of a massive sporting company in the Frostburn Empire. He still recognizes Mario as "The Great Gonzales". *A once-popular resort covered in snow due to the absence of the Notula Wind, which keeps the resort in perfect condition year-round. *A boss fight against a large robotic Koopa with cybernetic spikes and wings protruding from its back. Tatanga can be seen piloting it. *Several boss fights with Anemoi and his minions. One of them has been revealed to be named Phoenix. *Sequences where Luigi and Bowser are playable. Luigi is confirmed to have his own set of partners while Bowser will affect the story in some way. *A sequence involving Mario and an unnamed Chuckya partner sneaking through a base by using Pixel Pipes from Super Mario Odyssey. A demo released on November 25th, 2017 includes the game's prologue and a small portion of the first chapter. Prologue: Something Wicked This Way Blows The adventure begins with Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toadsworth flying on the Princess's personal jet to the Frostburn Empire for a meeting of several royal officials at Frostburn Palace. Mario and Luigi, however, are incredibly concerned about the whereabouts of Bowser who has been surprisingly dormant since the events on Prism Island. As the plane lands, Mario swears he hears Bowser's roar from elsewhere in the kingdom but shrugs it off as just him hearing things. The two plumbers and the two royal ambassadors head into St. Moltenton, just outside of Frostburn Palace, to shop for supplies before heading to the meeting. A local Ruff Puff gives Mario and Peach two different pendants - the Aeolian Pendant for Mario and the Gaian Pendant for Peach - as souvenirs for their visit to the empire. Before they can leave, a strong gust of wind signals the appearance of Anemoi, the game's main antagonist. He uses a tornado to pull Peach to him but Luigi pulls out his Poltergust 5000 and pulls the wind towards him; Mario jumps into the Poltergust before getting launched straight at Anemoi by Luigi. Their victory is short-lived as Anemoi manipulates the wind inside the Poltergust, causing the vacuum to explode and create a temporary smokescreen. While everyone is blinded by the smoke, Mario is grabbed by a cloud resembling a claw and is taken away by Anemoi before being knocked unconscious. Hours later, Mario wakes up in a prison cell on what appears to be an airship. He attempts to slide through the bars in his Paper Mode only to be nearly shredded on his way through. Mario then notices his cellmate, a Kitsune Galoomba named Galoombenny and asks for his assistance in escaping the cell. Galoombenny replies he's only been in the hold a few months and has figured out an escape route yet not how to get to it. A voice emanates from the pendant which informs Mario that the pendant is "no ordinary trinket" and can be used to summon gusts of wind. Mario promptly uses it to create a small cyclone for Galoombenny and him to jump into and escape. The two traverse the airship, searching for a way back to the ground which will not end in their demise. Using a key obtained from knocking out two guards, Mario and Galoombenny find themselves in a small room with only a black Warp Pipe in the center of it. They jump in and are immediately fired out of a large Bill Blaster towards the ground as the game's logo appears in the sky. Upon landing in what appears to be a desert mixed with a jungle, Mario and Galoombenny awaken and head for a nearby town, fighting several enemies along the way. Arriving in the town of Shadowy Oasis, Mario is immediately set upon by two Gritty Goombas serving as part of the town's militia. They question him about the Firma Winds and where he's hiding them; Galoombenny responds by saying neither of them has any idea what they're talking about. One of the Gritty Goombas, Goombomas Edward, invites both Mario and Galoombenny to a nearby cantina to watch a news report on the Firma Winds. The news report informs our heroes that the Firma Winds keep the Frostburn Empire in balance by controlling its weather, but someone has managed to both contain and steal all eight in unknown locations around the empire with Mario and Luigi as the prime suspects. Adding to this is the disappearance of the latter of the two brothers and the entirety of Frostburn Palace. Mario declares he will find all of the Firma Winds, despite not knowing where to start. Kolorado, a patron of the cantina, suggests Mario seek out Sundatta Temple as he has heard rumors of strong winds originating from that area; Kolorado would explore it himself but he's lost too many good men already going in there. Mario sets off towards the temple with Galoombenny and Kolorado at his side, ending the Prologue. Chapter 1: Tussle in the Temple The trio finally reaches the temple after several days of travel, only to find it guarded by a Triclyde Sphinx. The sphinx claims the only way into the temple to answer his riddles by solving three puzzles outside of the temple and recording the answers. Mario accepts the challenge and is given the first riddle - "He asks, but never answers"; after he is told this, a set of pillars appear from the ground and appear to lead to a nest on the side of the temple. Once Mario solves all the riddles, the Triclyde Sphinx lets Kolorado, Galoombenny and him into the temple. They hear a rumbling noise as the temple seals shut, entrapping them. Kolorado deduces the only way out is through an "inner sanctum" the Sphinx informed them of, sending our heroes deeper into the temple. This is where the demo ends. Gameplay As mentioned above, the game will return to the RPG style of the first two entries in the series. Mario can jump, use his hammer and partner abilities, and Spin Dash [a move returning from the original Paper Mario] while in the field. New to the game is the Aeolian Pendant which is given to Mario by an unnamed Ruff Puff at the beginning of his adventure. Using the pendant's aerokinetic and air manipulation abilities, Mario can create wind currents to push enemies back, upward tornadoes to send him into the air, and gusts to reveal hidden areas. Partners and Badges are also set to return. Trivia *The game takes several names and cues from Greek mythology; **Anemoi's name comes from the collective term used to describe the personifications of the wind used throughout Homer's Odyssey. **Phoenix is named after the mythological bird of the same name. **The Aeolian Pendant is in reference to Aeolus, the Greek god of wind. Category:Articles under Construction Category:Paper Mario (series) Category:Nintendo Switch Games